Little Things
by leechi nut
Summary: They say it's the little things that mean the most. As the end of the world looms ever nearer, Raven reflects on those little things her teammates will never know the deeper meanings of. Triple shot.
1. Pancakes

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. They are the property of DC Comics and Cartoon Network._

_Of Note: This story is set during "The End - Part 1."_

: Pancakes :

Raven wonders why they are surprised that she can't cook, but then she wonders why she wonders. It's hardly as if she ever told her teammates about her past. Sure, she informed them about her father and her fate and the end of all life on their planet, but in a "just the facts, ma'am" manner. What else could the teen say? She just wasn't a monologue kind of girl.

So, really, how could Raven expect them to understand her choice of breakfast foods? The simple answer: she couldn't. She had never proclaimed an affinity for anything other than herbal tea--unlike Cy with his beef, BB with his soy, Rob with his pizza, or Star with her mustard--and none of them were psychic. They had no way of knowing that those little dough cakes had been a cherished treat on Azarath, reserved for the high holidays before the days of darkness--similar to the Earthly celebration of Mardi Gras before Lent.

And, honestly, why should Raven assume they knew about her ineptitude in the kitchen? The fact of the matter: she shouldn't. She didn't broadcast her culinary inexperience with failed experiments like Starfire, nor did she throw a fuss about getting take-out like Robin. The other teenagers had no way of knowing that in the eleven years she had eaten the sweet treats at Temple Azarath, she had never once been allowed to watch the preparation, let alone participate in it--after all, she was part demon and might well poison the community's food for a lark.

Raven frowns at the old thought but lets it go. As her friends, her family, try to wolf down the brown glop she served them, she knows their ignorance is irrelevant. They eat because they love her, and that is enough.

The sun rises over the last day on Earth, and she wishes she had a little more time.


	2. Parks

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. They are the property of DC Comics and Cartoon Network._

_Of Note: This story is set during "The End - Part 1." _

: Parks :

Raven is hardly surprised when they gawk at her suggestion to go hiking. The resident goth and sun don't mix, as far as her housemates know. For them, the dark girl's tendency to lock herself in her room with her books translates into an absolute hatred of all things even vaguely outdoorsy.

To their credit, Raven does nothing to discourage that viewpoint. Anyone not privy to her thought process would never guess that she meditates on the roof for the view of the sea and the breeze in her hair--and none of the Titans are psychic. Introversion is all she ever lets them see. It's safe and well-rehearsed, that homebody instinct, but it's unfulfilling, too--though she dares not admit it aloud.

So, how could her teammates possibly fathom the jealousy Raven felt as a child, looking out of her stale, empty room at the marvels of Azarath proper? They had no idea that on the other side of the glass were places law literally forbade her to go. They had never heard of the chryselephantine towers that glittered in the noonday sun or the flying buttresses that winked at sunset like golden spider webs. They were never told that to Raven, the true beauty of the place lay not in those wonders but in the tiny green squares that inconspicuously dotted the edges of the floating city.

She had longed to join the other children there in their games. To feel the soft, forgiving earth under her feet instead of always-frigid stone. To hear laughter floating on the air rather than unimpassioned chants. To feel the glorious warmth of acceptance instead of cold, knowing glances.

Her mother had told her, "You forever had the love of your people," (1) but Raven isn't sure that's true. In any case, her "people" now are the Titans. Here, on this forested trail along the outskirts of Jump, she watches her friends, her family, laugh and play, and it warms her heart to know that she is part of it.

The sun reaches its zenith, and she wishes, vainly, for just a little more time.

_Footnotes: (1) Arella, "The Prophesy."_


	3. Pennies

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. They are the property of DC Comics and Cartoon Network._

_Of Note: This story is set during "The End - Part 1."_

: Pennies :

Raven no longer marvels when Beast Boy spazzes out over something commonplace--that is simply the way he is. To hear him burst into song is somewhat rarer; still, the toneless melody and missing middle verse are pure BB. Today, she does not hide her smile at his antics. He beams at her newfound humor and turns it up a notch, twirling his newfound coin high in the air and performing flashy slight-of-hand.

Just a half hour later, the lucky coin the green teen sang over is clutched tightly in Raven's hand, and the atmosphere around her has completely changed. As she looks up at the observation window in the so-called "safety room," the girl ponders whether or not the boy could possibly realize how much that cent piece means to her.

She opens her fist. The copper gleams in her hand the way she always dreamed such a treasure might. She remembers looking down from her high window on Azarath, watching the other children flit from vendor to vendor with their fists full of change. It wasn't the things they bought that Raven envied--no, not the shiny baubles or the hot spiced meats, though those were much more alluring than her dull monk's robes and the bland temple food. No, what she really wanted was the trust that money represented. Her peers were allowed to chart their own course through the market--although that freedom didn't extend past their naptime.

Still, at the time, that bit of currency was power. Raven thinks, as she eyes the metal disc in her hand, that perhaps it could be again. Perhaps, though she can't change her fate, she can change how she meets it, and maybe, just maybe, she can change what comes afterward.

The sun has long since set, and while she knows her time is over, she will give her friends, her family, a little bit more.


End file.
